The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1887-09-01
A CAROLINIAN IN UTAH,
SALT LAKE CITY AND THE NOR.
MONS.

SALT LAKE CITY AND THE NOR.
MONS.
A sentinel Man, Who has Been There,
Gives Glimpses of Life In the Land
of the 'SLatter Day Saints.''
Mr.. EDITOR Thinking that a
few items in regard to the Territory
of Utah would be of interest to your
many readers, [ have concluded to
give you short sketches of the Terri
tory. md # The Mormon Cnurcn,
gained by an experience of three years
residence in this country so full of In
terest to ali.
When the Mormons first struck
what is now Utah Territory, many
years ago, they found it perfect des-
ert covered by sage brush, and no one
would ever have thought that they
could have brought it up to the high
state of cultivation. for which it is
now remarkable making it almost
the garden spot of the West. When
their leader Prophet, and President,
Brigham Young, concluded to settle
there, he laid off the whole Territory
into small farms, and put the entire
church, me n, women and children, to
digging immense canals leading from
the river Jordan all over the country,
in order to irrigate the land, as it was
almost entirely deprived of rain. The
Mormons following their leaders in
structions, have caused it to be re-
marked by all as the most fertile and
productive spot of the great West.
The people all live in small villages
and towns, of from fifty to one thou
sand inhabitants, surrounded by their
farms not, as in our country, farm
er living on his own plantation. Each
man is entitled to so many hours of
water for irrigating purposes every
twsnty-four hours, and if his time
should commence at twelve o'clock at
night, he must be ready to irrigate his
farm, for he can only obtain the water
at the stated hours which were allow
ed him. This land will all produce
from forty to seventy bushels of small
grain, and from thirty to fifty bushels
of corn to the acre it will also pro-
duce, and cause to grow luxuriantly,
any kind of vegetable, melon, fruit, in
fact, anything that can be raised eth
er North or South,
Each village or city, no matter how
few the number of inhabitants is in
corporated, and Bishop Of the Nor.
mon Church, whs resides there for the
purpose of collecting tithing, &C., is
1fc ond h1c ao,rnsa11oro .k-
policeman. There is only one store
in each village which is owned and
operated by the q. C. M. 1. (Zion Co
operative Merchandise Institutions
The headquarter store is located al
the City OF Salt Lake, which with all
its branches, is owned by the Nor
mons exclusively. This great store
built of Utah granite, is fifty feet wide
one hundred feet long, four storie.
high, the lower floor having a solie
glass front; it is crowded with good.
as it carries stock of from $8O0,OO(
to $1,000,000 worth of goods. It.
credit is A. No. 1.
The great city of the West, Sal
Lake, seen from distance, remind
one of city in forest, as each hous,
is surrounded by an orchard; it ha
an immense trade and its affairs, boil
municipal and mercantile, are almos
absolutely under the control of tn,
Mormon Church, notwithstanding
some of the largest stores west are 10
Gated here and owned and operated
by Gentiles. The Mormon Churcl
has two papers published at Salt LAX
City, the Herald and the Ne,cs, witt
circulation of from 4, 800 to 800,
each. The Gentiles also have a pa
per published here, the Tribune. witt
a circulation of eight to ten thousand
as it is taken in almost every Stat
and Territory in the United States, il
order to gain information in regard t.
Mormons and Mormonism.
About nine miles from Salt Lax
City, lies the great Salt Lake, shee
of water ten miles wide and forty mile
long; three of the largest rivers ives
empty into it, together with innumer
able small streams, and notwithstand
ing that all this water is fresh an
pure, the waters of the lake contain
more salt than the sea. 1t has all tn
ebbs and tides of the sea, and ha
been sounded from one end to the ott
er and no outlet discovered. ANY on
visiting Salt Lake City misses seein
one of the great curiosities of the worl
should he fail to visit this great LAKE
There is small steamer plying on
which will take you over the entir
lake for $3.50. Every day, durin
the summer season there are excul
sion trains run from Salt Lake City /
the lake, morning and evening, i
order to afford the people the luxur
of a sea bath about $500 feet aboy
the level of the sea. In the corporal
limits of the city there are two ht
springs, each reached by street car
which are noted the west over fl
their healing qualities, and are visite
annually by hundreds of people seel
ing health.
The valley of Salt Lake is surroun,
ed by bluffs in which lie one of Il
finest mines west-to wit j: the HoI
Silver mine, owned by j. Gould, WI
owns and operates two large smelter
one with five 80 ton furnaces, and Il
other with three 20 ton furnaces f;
the purpose of reducing his ore in
bullion. These smelters and the Hol
], Silver mines give employment to OF
thousand people at wages rangir
from two to six dollars per day. The
are gold, silver and lead mines sea
tered all over the bluffs, in such mi
ming camps as Bingham Canyon, Alt
Little Cotton Wood, and others. "